ABSTRACT
This chapter considers what video games are and how they relate to play. It discusses whether video games are an art form or a new medium. The chapter also examines the role video games play in the lives of young children, and discusses how to analyze their cultural significance. It offers a bio-psycho-social analysis of the video game phenomenon. The chapter further analyzes four of what are generally considered to be the most important adventure video games of recent years: Myst, Riven, Tomb Raider, and Half-Life. The arcade version of Pac-Man had eighty-four circuit chips on its central logic board and was, for the times, a very powerful device. The first home version was a good deal less powerful and for many gamers, not as satisfying, but Atari, which manufactured the games, added special microprocessors devoted to generating better video displays and sounds.
